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A review by rbruehlman
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
2.0
Having heard so much about this book for years and years, I finally decided to pick it up and read it, figuring a so oft-mentioned book would be profound and really shape my thinking. While I think it's an interesting topic, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth.
Firstly, this book isn't really an exploration of poverty. Barbara Ehrenreich admits to this as much early on, when she lists the concessions she isn't willing to make that would make her experience more realistic ... like owning a car. Many poor people can't afford a car and are entirely dependent on the whims of unreliable, crappy public transportation. Again, I can't criticize Ehrenreich too much for this because she is upfront about it early ... but I will say that the concessions she made made the book fundamentally different from what I had thought it would be--it's not an exploration of what it's like to live in poverty, it's an exploration of what it's like to work a minimum wage job, which are two different things.
Secondly, the book is a pretty straight retelling of Barbara Ehrenreich's experience. She doesn't weave in much statistics or information about poverty, or tie her experiences back to anything, or explore anything beyond "here's what happened today to me." Given how much there is to say on the topic of poverty, the pure focus on Ehrenreich's day-to-day felt lacking in substance.
Thirdly, Barbara Ehrenreich herself is ... hard to like. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but she really grated on me. I liked some of the people she described in the book, but I never grew fond of *her*. She came off as overly happy with herself and her academic background, and she clearly tries to make jokes in the book, but ... man, you ever know that person who is trying really, really, really hard to be funny, and just isn't? That's Barbara Ehrenreich. Her sense of humor frankly felt kind of mean-spirited at times (for instance, her commentary on how fat Minnesotans are).
Fourthly, I don't think this book has aged well. I can see why this book made an impression in the late 90s--short of newspaper articles, there wasn't really a way for the average person not in poverty to get an inside view of what poverty or minimum wage life was like, short of living it themselves. I will give Barbara Ehrenreich credit where credit is due, publishing an at-the-time novel memoir exposing the underbelly average Americans weren't privvy to. However, in today's age, you can work a minimum wage job and write about your experience on the internet easily for anyone to see. What is the point of reading about Barbara Ehrenreich's half-in/half-out chosen experiment when you can read the authentic experience of someone who lives that reality not by choice? If Ehrenreich had weaved in more analysis or research into her account, it might be able to stand on its own merit anyway, but, as it stands in 2022, meh. If I wanted someone to get a perspective into what minimum wage jobs are like, I'd direct them to read something else.
Firstly, this book isn't really an exploration of poverty. Barbara Ehrenreich admits to this as much early on, when she lists the concessions she isn't willing to make that would make her experience more realistic ... like owning a car. Many poor people can't afford a car and are entirely dependent on the whims of unreliable, crappy public transportation. Again, I can't criticize Ehrenreich too much for this because she is upfront about it early ... but I will say that the concessions she made made the book fundamentally different from what I had thought it would be--it's not an exploration of what it's like to live in poverty, it's an exploration of what it's like to work a minimum wage job, which are two different things.
Secondly, the book is a pretty straight retelling of Barbara Ehrenreich's experience. She doesn't weave in much statistics or information about poverty, or tie her experiences back to anything, or explore anything beyond "here's what happened today to me." Given how much there is to say on the topic of poverty, the pure focus on Ehrenreich's day-to-day felt lacking in substance.
Thirdly, Barbara Ehrenreich herself is ... hard to like. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but she really grated on me. I liked some of the people she described in the book, but I never grew fond of *her*. She came off as overly happy with herself and her academic background, and she clearly tries to make jokes in the book, but ... man, you ever know that person who is trying really, really, really hard to be funny, and just isn't? That's Barbara Ehrenreich. Her sense of humor frankly felt kind of mean-spirited at times (for instance, her commentary on how fat Minnesotans are).
Fourthly, I don't think this book has aged well. I can see why this book made an impression in the late 90s--short of newspaper articles, there wasn't really a way for the average person not in poverty to get an inside view of what poverty or minimum wage life was like, short of living it themselves. I will give Barbara Ehrenreich credit where credit is due, publishing an at-the-time novel memoir exposing the underbelly average Americans weren't privvy to. However, in today's age, you can work a minimum wage job and write about your experience on the internet easily for anyone to see. What is the point of reading about Barbara Ehrenreich's half-in/half-out chosen experiment when you can read the authentic experience of someone who lives that reality not by choice? If Ehrenreich had weaved in more analysis or research into her account, it might be able to stand on its own merit anyway, but, as it stands in 2022, meh. If I wanted someone to get a perspective into what minimum wage jobs are like, I'd direct them to read something else.